DUNMOR, Ky. (7/6/14) Forty tons of new sand on the beach, check. New coats of paint throughout the park, check. And, total capacity in the RV and tent camping areas, check.

The Fourth of July weekend brought perfect, mild, sunny weather and an eager crowd to Lake Malone State Park, located in southern Muhlenberg and northern Logan counties. The group known as Friends of Lake Malone organized the yard sale, which is held the first Saturday of each month, through November, according to Jerry Hargrove, treasurer for the advocacy group.

"We have vendors from Owensboro, Russellville, Madisonville, they're kind of spread around," Hargrove said. "We have booths with jewelry, purses, Army surplus, red hot barbecue and fresh vegetables. There has been a good crowd throughout the park this weekend. It's pretty full."

Hargrove noted that the improvements over the past few months have made the park look a lot better and may be partly responsible for the increase in traffic.

"I think one of the things that was one of the biggest improvements was that everything was painted," Hargrove said. "The boat dock, the bath house, all the posts were painted. Plus, we put down at least 40 tons of sand on the beach, and right now we are working on funds to put in a miniature golf course and horse stables. These golf course and stable are two of the main things we'd like to get done as soon as we can."

Hargrove said there is still work to be done on some of the trails.

"There is one trail with 20 to 25 truckloads of pines still down on it," Hargrove said. "We hope to get that taken care of before the season is over. I'm a former Scout master, and I know what the park used to be. We always enjoyed it. And, people still do. So, we hope that if we keep working at it, we can help the park grow and prosper and return to what it was years ago."

Along with the new look, the park has a new manager this year — Teresa Wells. Wells began working at the park in 2010 as a campground attendant and later as the business officer.

Lake Malone includes a campground, boat ramp, fishing, hiking trails, a playground and picnic area, and Dogwood Lake has reopened this season just across the entrance road.

The next Lake Malone flea market will be held the first Saturday in August. Then on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, the park will host a truck and tractor show. Find out more about the Friends of Lake Malone by calling (270) 772-3294. For park information and reservations, call (270) 657-2111.